Border latch for windows, doors and the like



April 26, 1966 s. A. R. FLOD'EVLL BORDER LATCH FOR WINDOWS, DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 12, 1963 Fig. 7

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2

April 1966 s. A. 4R. FLODELL 3,248,140

BORDER LATCH FOR WINDOWS. DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' United States Patent 7 3,248,140 BORDER LATCH FOR WINDOWS, DOORS AND THE LIKE Sfig Axel Rune Flodell, Vastra Frolunda, Sweden, assignor to Karl Anders Davidson, Orkelljunga, Sweden Filed Aug. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 301,443 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-74) It is common to use rotary latches in windows, doors and the like when the window sash etc. at its free corners, i.e. the corners situated opposite the hinge borders, shall close very tightly against the abutment of the frame. Such latching devices are rather expensive in manufacture and diflicult to arrange on the window. Also rather large recesses in the window sach are required.

This invention has for its primary purpose to overcome the drawbacks recited here above. The invention relates more particularly to automatically snapping border latches for windows, doors and the like having lock knobs, each of said latches comprising a latch housing attached preferably to the window frame and having the shape of a sleeve or the like in which there is axially movable a latch bolt or piston which by the action of a spring can be brought to extend out through one end of the latch housing, and further comprising a catching plate attached to the free corners of the window sash etc., said plate comprising a catching abutment with an inclining catching surface, said abutment situated in the movement path of said latch bolt upon relative movement between the latch housing and the catching plate, Whereas the latch bolt is arranged by the action of the spring to press the window sash etc. against the window frame in closing position so as to tighten the window sash. A feature of the invention is to be seen therein that the abutment is arranged on a slide which is movable in its longitudinal direction and adapted to be fixed in a rail on the window sash etc. or the window frame, respectively. A further feature of the invention is that the latch bolt can be regulated in cooperation with the abutment to provide optimum coaction of the bolt and abutment.

Instead of a latching device with rotary latches there is used a common lock knob for windows. This lock knob is preferably of the kind which at its moving to unlocking position also causes the window sash to be pressed away from its abutment against the frame. The latch bolts in the border latches are thereby forced to slide up on the locking surface of the latter. The window is thereupon easily opened.

The advantages with such a latching device are that the window closes tightly against the frame in closed position without the use of rotary latches and it is easily opened. The costs for the border latches and the latch knobs are considerably lower than the costs of a latching device with rotary latches and further the mounting costs considerably decreases over those which are required with previous latching devices. Another advantage to be seen in the invention is the one that the window cannot be opened by children. Eventhough a child would be able to bring the latch knob over to open position, the window will be retained in closed position by the border latches as the latch bolts still engage behind the inclining surface of the abutment of the catch. The incision in the window sash and the frame, necessary for the mounting of the cat-ch, will be rather small.

An example of a device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a window having border latches according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a vertical section through the window in. open position,

q p 3 248,140 Patented Apr. 26,1966

FIG. 3 shows on an enlarged scale a vertical section through a border latch of the window according to FIG. 2 in closed position,

FIG. 4 shows a cross section through the catching plate of the latch shown in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the latch housing with a locking piston according to FIG. 3.

The frame of the window is provided with the bearings 1 according to FIGS. 1 and 2, and a window sash 3 is pivoted in the bearings. The window sash is at its lower end provided with the window lock knob 4 of common construction. In the four corners of the window there are arranged border latches 5 according to the invention. A tightening 7,v preferably comp-rising foam plastics, is attached to the abutment border 6 of the frame 2.

Latches in accordance with the invention are equally applicable to Window sashes which are swingably carried relative to the frame 2 by means of hinges at one side of the window. The border latches are arranged at the free corners of the window sash and the lock knob 4 is arranged approximately at the center of the side opposite the hinges.

As obvious especially from FIG. 3 a tubular housing 8 of the. border latch 5 is provided with barb-shaped ridges 9 entered into the window frame 2 and a lock plate or catch 10 is attached to the window sash 3. The housing 8 has the shape of a sleeve with a bottom 11 and in the same there is entered a hollow latch bolt 12 which has a wedge-shaped outer end portion 13 that extends out through the open end of the housing 8. A helical spring 16is arranged between the bottom 11 and the inner end of the latch bolt 12, and the spring 16 presses the latch bolt outwardly. The catch plate 10 comprises a slide 18 and a rail or track 21 with a longitudinal groove .20, saidrail 21 being attached to the window sash 3 by means of screws 19. The side walls 22 of the groove 20 converge in the direction towards the latch housing 8. The slide 18 has a dove tail cross section with the side surfaces shaped in correspondence with the side surfaces 22 of the groove 20 and is provided with a wedge-shaped locking abutment 23 providing an inclining glide path 24 for the latch bolt 12"and an inclined locking surface 26. By the tightening of a screw 27 whereas its'end presses against the bottom 28 in the groove 20, the slide 18 is. wedged against the side walls 22 of the groove 20. Before the locking, the slide 18 is adjusted to selected POSI- tion by being moved in the longitudinal direction of the groove 20 in the rail 21.

When the window sash 3 is swung to closed position, the slide 18 abuts with the inclining glide path 24 against the outer end portion 13 and forces thereby the latch piston 12 against the action of the spring 16 inwards into the latch housing 8. When the apex of the abutment 23 has passed that of the latch bolt, the latter will by the action of the spring 16 press against the locking surface 26 and thus force the window sash 3 to tighten against the abutment 6 on the frame 2. The sealing strip 7 is thereby compressed to the required degree. The window sash is then looked in closed position by means of the lock knob 4( It is to be noted that an adjustment of the border latches can easily be performed by loosening the screw 27 so as to release the slide 18 in question and by moving the latter as required outwards or inwards in the rail 21 (toward one end or the other of the same) and thereupon 3 as shown in FIG. 5. The latch bolt 12 is provided with an axial bore 31 receiving the head 320i a screw 33 which extends through a central hole in the inner end wall 34 of the latch bolt and is adapted to be screwed more or less into the bottom 11 of the sleeve 8. The helical spring '16 between'the bottom 11 and the inner end of the piston 12, when the window sash is in opened position, forces the'piston 12 outwardly until the inner end wall 34 of the piston engagesthe head of the screw. Thus the outwardly movement of the spring pressed latch bolt is regulated by screwing the screw 33 in or out. The clamping screw 27 is arranged at one end of the slide 1 8 and completely out of the moving path of the latch bolt 12. Due to the arrangement of the screw 27 shown in FIG. 3, upon the tightening of the same the slide 18 is forced to take a somewhat biased position which ensures a very good looking of the same to the rail 21.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A latching assembly -for a window comprising, in combination, a tubular housing set into the window frame and having a non-circular lbore, said housing being open at its outer end and having at its inner end an end wall having a central inner boss with a tapped axial hole, a hollow latch bolt of non-circular cross section axially slidable and non-rotatable in said housing, said latch bolt having an inner end wall with a central hole, the outer end of said latch bolt being asymmetrically wedge-shaped to provide a smaller sliding surface and a larger locking surface, a compression coil spring in said housing and having an inner end surrounding said boss and an outer end bearing against the inner end of said latch bolt to urge said latch bolt axially outwardly, an adjusting screw extending through said central hole in the inner end wall of said latch bolt and screwed into said tapped hole in said housing for adjustably limiting the outward movement of said latch bolt by said spring; a track secured to the window sash, a slide slidable on said track and formed with a "wedge-shaped abutment providing a slid-.

ing sunface and a locking surface engageable successively and respectively by said sliding surface and locking surface of said latch bolt when said sash is moved to closed position, said slide having an outer end portion extending outwardly beyond said abutment and having a tapped hole therethrough and a clamping screw screwed in said tapped hole in said slide and engageable with said track to secure said slide in a selected position relative to said track, said housing and slide being so positioned relative to, one another that when said sash is moved to closed position, the sliding surface of said latch bolt engages the sliding surface of said slide and forces said latch bolt inwardly against the force of said spring and then the locking surface of said latch bolt is forced by said spring against the locking surface on said slide to hold the sash in closed position, said track extending in the direction of the movement of said slide relative to said latch bolt,

and the position of said slide on said track and outward movement of said latch lbolt being variable by means of said clamping screw and said adjusting screw to regulate the interengagernent of said surfaces, said clamping screw of the slide being disposed beyond the range of travel of said latch bolt.

2. A window latching assembly according to claim 1',

in which said track comprises a channel with inwardly sloping sides and said slide has a dove-tailed cross section with outwardly sloping sides engaging said inwardly sloping sides of the channel, the tightening of said clamping screw tending to raise the outer end of said slide relative to said track and thereby tilt the slide to ensure effective locking of said slide relative to the track.

References Cited by the Examiner JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS J. HICKEY, M. HENSON WOOD, 1a.,

Examiners. J. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LATCHING ASSEMBLY FOR A WINDOW COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TUBULAR HOUSING SET INTO THE WINDOW FRAME AND HAVING A NON-CIRCULAR BORE, SAID HOUSING BEING OPEN AT ITS OUTER END AND HAVING AT ITS INNER END AN END WALL HAVING A CENTRAL INNER BOSS WITH A TAPPED AXIAL HOLE, A HOLLOW LATCH BOLT OF NON-CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION AXIALLY SLIDABLE AND NON-ROTATABLE IN SAID HOUSING, SAID LATCH BOLT HAVING AN INNER END WALL WITH A CENTRAL HOLE, THE OUTER END OF SAID LATCH BOLT BEING ASYMMETRICALLY WEDGE-SHAPED TO PROVIDE A SMALLER SLIDING SURFACE AND A LARGER LOCKING SURFACE, COMPRESSION COIL SPRING IN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AN INNER END SURROUNDING SAID BOSS AND AN OUTER END BEARING AGAINST THE INNER END OF SAID LATCH BOLT TO URGE SAID LATCH BOLT AXIALLY OUTWARDLY, AND ADJUSTING SCREW EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CENTRAL HOLE IN THE INNER END WALL OF SAID LATCH BOLT AND SCREWED INTO SAID TAPPED HOLE IN SAID HOUSING FOR ADJUSTABLY LIMITING THE OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH BOLT BY SAID SPRING; A TRACK SECURED TO THE WINDOW SASH, A SLIDE SLIDABLE ON SAID TRACK AND FORMED WITH A WEDGE-SHAPED ABUTMENT PROVIDING A SLIDING SURFACE AND A LOCKING SURFACE ENGAGEABLE SUCCESSIVELY AND RESPECTIVELY BY SAID SLIDING SURFACE AND LOCKING SURFACE OF SAID LATCH BOLT WHEN SAID SASH IS MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION, SAID SLIDE HAVING AN OUTER END PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID ABUTMENT AND HAVING A TAPPED HOLE THERETHROUGH AND A CLAMPING SCREW SCREWED IN SAID TAPPED HOLE IN SAID SLIDE AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID TRACK TO SECURE SAID SLIDE IN A SELECTED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID TRACK, SAID HOUSING AND SLIDE BEING SO POSITIONED RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER THAT WHEN SAID SASH IS MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION, THE SLIDING SURFACE OF SAID LATCH BOLT ENGAGES THE SLIDING SURFACE ON SAID SLIDE AND FORCES SAID LATCH BOLT INWARDLY AGAINST THE FORCE OF SAID SPRING AND THEN THE LOCKING SURFACE ON SAID LATCH BOLT IS FORCED BY SAID SPRING AGAINST THE LOCKING SURFACE ON SAID SLIDE TO HOLE THE SASH IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID TRACK EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDE RELATIVE TO SAID LATCH BOLT, AND THE POSITION OF SAID SLIDE ON SAID TRACK AND OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH BOLT BEING VARIABLE BY MEANS OF SAID CLAMPING SCREW AND SAID ADJUSTING SCREW TO REGULATE THE INTERENGAGEMENT OF SAID SURFACES, SAID CLAMPING SCREW OF THE SLIDE BEING DISPOSED BEYOND THE RANGE OF TRAVEL OF SAID LATCH BOLT. 